Just Be Brave
by Mosshh
Summary: An incident between Puck, Santana and Rachel bring Quinn's feelings to the surface, but for anything more to happen she needs to be brave and hope she is granted a second chance.


******Here is my entry to Faberry week under the prompt 'Jealousy'. It is my christmas gift to you!  
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**I hope you enjoy it (:  
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**Just Be Brave  
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Quinn walked confidently down the halls of William McKinley School. Her ponytail swayed from side to side, her chin raised just that little bit too high whilst her hands were placed perfectly on her hips. She passed the math classrooms without batting an eyelid, then past Coach Sylvester's office where she could hear a junior being ripped into about not losing enough weight over the course of the day and then finally she passed the choir room with not a care in the world.

Or did she?

Quinn made a double take. She took two steps back and peered into the room through the glass of the door. There, sitting on the piano stool was Rachel looking at something with a sheepish grin on her phone. Not only that, but lying across the piano and leaning over her shoulders were both Santana and Puck who also had smirks plastered across their faces.

The cheerio took a few steps sideways and then leant her back against the lockers and sighed. She couldn't be mad at Rachel for finally having friends. It was senior year and she deserved to be happy even if it wasn't with herself. She'd tried making Rachel realise how she felt about her but Rachel rightly explained that Quinn couldn't like her that much if she wasn't willing to be with her exclusively to their fellow glee members.

There were only a few months left of school before everyone parted their separate ways and all Rachel wanted was to be happy and for the people she loved to know the reason for it. Quinn completely understood Rachel's point and she couldn't argue with it.

The door to the choir room opened and Puck and Santana left with dopey grins still plastered across their faces.

"Priceless," Quinn heard Puck say as they walked in separate directions to their next class completely oblivious to the presence of her.

Quinn sighed once more before pushing herself off of the lockers and heading towards her next class.

"I saw you looking through the door," Rachel said softly causing Quinn to stop abruptly and turn around to face her.

"Oh, I was just… I was looking for," but words failed her, "I was just watching you. It's nice to see you smile."

Rachel shuffled her feet but didn't speak.

"It's odd actually."

"What is?" Rachel asked slightly intrigued at Quinn's mysteriousness.

"It's odd that I spent two years trying to wipe that smile off of your face when now all I want to do is see it and be the one to make it happen," she replied honestly.

A slight blush crept up Rachel's face and a smile tugged at her lips. "Thank-you Quinn that's very sweet of you to say."

A silence fell over them briefly before a bell ringing somewhere in the distance interrupted.

"I better get going," Quinn stated pointing behind her, "Coach doesn't like it when we're late and I don't fancy doing fifty extra chin ups on top of the eighty we already have to do."

Rachel chuckled. "I don't think I'd be able to do one let alone eighty," she joked, "You'll be able to knock out the jocks soon enough."

"Yeah," it was Quinn's turn to laugh, "Or Puck and Santana," she mumbled.

"Why would you want to hurt Puck and Santana?" Rachel asked, her smile gone and her eyebrows raised.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Quinn smiled, "I really need to get to class, I'll see you in Glee after school okay?"

"No Quinn, you don't get to threaten to hurt my friends, and yours come to think of it, and then walk off as if nothing happened," Rachel said her voice slowly getting louder, anger lacing it.

"I just," Quinn started, she knew she had no right to be angry, Rachel wasn't hers, but she couldn't help getting slightly possessive anyway. "I saw them looking down your top when you thought they were looking at your phone."

"And?" Rachel's response was blunt.

"And I just don't think it was appropriate that's all," Quinn explained softly, her voice still at the same steady level.

"Well thank-you for your opinion on the matter Quinn, I agree with you but whether they were looking at my breasts or my phone it makes no difference to you," Rachel stated simply.

"It shouldn't make a difference but it does," Quinn said and she could feel herself losing control. Warmth burst through into her chest and moved slowly up into her head, it clouded her vision and before she could do anything about it, tears were forming.

"You're just jealous."

"I'm not brave like you are Rachel," Quinn barely whispered wiping a stray tear off of her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Admit it, you're jealous," Rachel forced out ignoring Quinn's words.

"Why it won't change anything? But if it makes you feel better, yes I am jealous. Who wouldn't be?" She asks exasperated.

"Someone who is strong enough to stand up for themselves and go after what they want," Rachel deadpanned.

"That's not fair Rachel…"

"Fair? Nothing about this is fair, life isn't fair. It's not fair that I can't have you and it's not fair that you can't find the courage to take what is going to make you happy," Rachel interrupted.

Tears started to flow freely down Quinn's face. She bit her lip to try and control her desperate urge to break down. "I explained myself to you. I'm not brave like you, I can't stand up in front of the school and declare I'm in love with you and not pretend there won't be consequences for me."

Rachel paused before responding. Yes, Quinn had explained herself but her explanation didn't make her rejection hurt any less.

"In love with me?" Rachel repeated.

Quinn hadn't realised she'd said that part out loud. She hadn't meant to, but now it was out there, there was nothing she could do.

"Always," Quinn whispered.

"That's even more reason to search deep within you for the courage I know you have. I know it's in there," Rachel choked out, slightly teary herself.

"Just, just be with me please, until I have it figured out. Until I can tell them," Quinn pleaded.

"You controlled the first two years of my life Quinn and I've forgiven you for that. I'm happy now, and I won't let you hide that away from the people we both love. You controlled the start of my high school and I won't let you control the end of it. Not this time."

Quinn nodded and took a step forward leaning in to kiss Rachel knowing that it might be the only chance she'll ever have but Rachel was too quick. She turned her head so Quinn's lips only collided with the soft skin of her cheek.

"Please Rachel," Quinn whispered not yet wanting to pull back.

"I'm sorry Quinn, but you had your chance," Rachel forced herself to say before pulling away from the blonde and walking off to her lesson which she was now late for.

* * *

She could do this. She knew she could do this.

Quinn paced up and down in front of the on looking Glee club anticipating what she was about to say. Most of the regular members were there already but a few familiar faces were missing. Puck's for example, oh and Santana and wait, where was Rachel?

A bubble of anger began to form at the pit of her stomach, but like Rachel had told her, she had no right to get jealous and she understood that. Quinn took a few calming breathes and the bubbling soon subsided, that was until Rachel walked into the choir room with her arms linked to both Puck's and Santana's.

Quinn could have swung for them and was about to open her mouth to say something she would no doubt regret but luckily Mr Schue stood up to start the class off.

"Afternoon, Puck, Rachel and Santana, it's nice you could finally join us," Mr Schue said slightly agitated by the fact they were five minutes late and nationals were just weeks away.

Santana didn't speak and just took a seat next to Brittany whilst Rachel and Puck mumbled their apologies and took a seat next to each other at the back.

"Now you're all here we can finally start discussing what numbers we would like to perform in our upcoming nationals final," Mr Schue explained in a much happier tone of voice to which was responded by an uproar of cheering and catcalls.

Quinn couldn't help but smile at the goofy look on Rachel's face that was until Puck rested his chin upon Rachel's shoulder to whisper something in her ear causing her to giggle loudly.

"Something funny?"

"No not at all Mr Schue, we're sorry," Rachel said as she mimed zipping her lips together and throwing away the key before laughing quietly with Puck again.

"Thank-you," the Spanish teacher replied, "Now before we start Quinn would like to make an announcement, the floor is yours Quinn," he said gesturing to the floor with his hands and smiling at her warmly.

She hadn't told him what she was about to do. She wasn't even sure if she would actually go through with it, but with twelve pairs of eyes boring into her soul she felt under some sort of pressure to continue with her 'announcement'.

Quinn hadn't considered the consequences of what she was about to say. Any other time and she probably would have, but this time was different. As she watched Puck persist to whisper in Rachel's ear, she knew that no matter what happened, it would have been worth even if it was just to wipe that smug smile off of his face.

"Here goes nothing," she reassured herself under her breathe.

Quinn cleared her throat, "I like someone."

There it was, she'd started; now she had to finish.

"Big deal," Santana shouted, "Don't we all."

Quinn searched out Rachel's face and their eyes locked. It was all she needed to keep going.

"Actually that came out wrong, I don't like someone; I think I love someone."

A murmur of interest filled the room and this time even Santana didn't speak.

"This person is kind and thoughtful and always appears to be there for you even when you're not sure you need someone. I'm ashamed to say that I kicked them down to the dirt and when they looked for a hand up I handed them my own and let go again," Quinn took a deep breath, the room was so silent a pin hitting the floor could have been heard.

"I don't deserve to love them; I don't deserve to love anyone for how I've treated people. I can't look after myself and I have no idea how I'm ever going to look after someone else but I'm willing to learn and I'm willing to try. I've had one shot with this person already and I blew it."

Artie broke the silence, "How?"

"They asked me to be with them and I said yes but only if nobody knew because I was scared of the consequences."

He exhaled out deeply and just nodded.

"I'm still not ready for people to know, not everyone at least but me, standing here in front of you all is me telling you that I am willing to go that extra mile to tell eventually tell everyone about us and tell them about how happy we are together."

"What if they don't want you anymore?" Finn piped up.

"Then I've lost my chance and that's okay, because I blew the first one and never deserved a second."

Finn smiled, "That's very noble of you."

Quinn blushed, "This person…wait no, I'm not going to call them 'this person' anymore, they have a name…_she_ has a name," there was a gasp from her audience, "her name is Rachel. Rachel Berry. I think some of you might know her," she said not able to contain her grin.

Rachel blushed herself and looked at her toes before looking up again.

"Rachel asked me to be with her, but only if we told you guys. She didn't want to be happy and not have people known why and I declined that offer. I was selfish. I know that. But to prove to you how much I care, and how hard I'm willing to try I have a few things to say."

Rachel beamed and stood up walking towards Quinn who was standing in the middle of the choir room. They stood about a foot apart and Quinn spoke again.

"Your favourite colour is a flecked hazel colour because it reminds you of my eyes. Your least favourite colour is pink because you think it makes you look fat when actually I think it makes you look cute. You separate a whole tube of smarties by colour before eating them in the order of the colours of the rainbow. I find it adorable when you lick the spoon in cooking class when you think no one is looking but most of all, but what I love the most about you is how you picked the gardenia for me but allowed Finn to give it to me."

Rachel was beaming still, "How did you know?"

"I told her," Finn smiled, "It was obvious how you felt back then and it wasn't fair for Quinn not to know what you did for her."

Rachel mouthed 'thank-you,' to him.

"So, can we make this work?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know what you mean," Rachel teased.

"Will you be my girlfriend Rachel Barbra Berry?" Quinn blushed.

"Yes, yes I think I will." Rachel replied before pulling Quinn into a tight hug.

The Glee Club cheered and got up from their seats to join the hug before them. Amongst all the commotion Puck sidled towards Santana and muttered, "I love it when a plan comes together," before they high fived, never once looking at each other.

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**Thoughts?**

**Merry Christmas!  
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